Laboratory experiment on the effect of nano SiO2 and TiO2 on short and long-term aging behavior of bitumen

Abstract

In recent years, efforts to extend life and asphalt endurance against climatic conditions and loads caused by traffic have been concerned by for road builders. To this end, researchers have explored different ways, such as changing the aggregation, using different additives and changing the composition of asphalt. According to previous studies and experiments, it seems that the modification of bitumen using polymers alone does not completely improve the bitumen properties and asphalt performance. Therefore, in this study, the effect of silica and titanium nano-oxides on the rheological behavior of bitumen was investigated. In this study, rheological tests such as Direct Shear Rheometer, Bending Beam Rheometer, Multiple Stress Creep Recovery and Linear Amplitude Sweep were performed. The results show that adding different percentages of nanomaterials to bitumen improves bitumen resistance against aging and damages such as rutting and fatigue and improve rheological behavior of bitumen. Of all the percentages selected, the use of 1.2% nano SiO2 and 0.9% Nano TiO2 had the best performance. The results show that addition of 1.2% Nano SiO2 at 40 °C increases rutting resistance of the mixture approximately 100% and also increases the fatigue life of bitumen samples by 50%.